A long tradition of aviation pioneering and technological breakthroughSaab 29 Tunnan

Story

13 June 2017

In 1945, the Swedish defence materiel procurement authority commissioned Saab to develop a new advanced fighter aircraft. The development work resulted in a chubby aircraft that was quickly dubbed the “Flying Barrel”. Access to German research meant that the aircraft could be given a swept wing, leading to improved performance with excellent efficiency.

The maiden flight on 1 September 1948 was undertaken by Robert Moore, an English test pilot.

The first J 29A aircrafts were delivered to their squadrons in 1951. 665 Saab 29 aircrafs were produced altogether in six different versions. The last of these, J 29F, was fitted with afterburner, further improving the aircraft’s performance. The rate of production was high, and in 1954 no fewer than 238 aircrafts were built.

J 29 was Western Europe's first aircraft in operational service with a performance that could match the American F-86 Sabre and the Russian MiG-15. It was successfully deployed in the so-called Congo crisis in the early 1960s and was also used by the Austrian Air Force.

Saab 29 set two world speed records. The aircraft is on display at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping and one J 29F, “Gul Rudolf”, continues to fly.